


Daisy Chain

by IntelligentAirhead



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Arcanaswap, Emperor Yukiko, F/F, Pre-Slash, Star Chie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 10:51:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3689478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntelligentAirhead/pseuds/IntelligentAirhead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yukiko likes to spend her days off on the floodbank.<br/>Chie likes to spend hers with Yukiko. </p><p>(An Arcanaswap AU wherein Chie is the Star Arcana and Yukiko is the Emperor Arcana. Backgrounds will shift slightly, and some characters referenced will have switched arcanas as well.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Daisy Chain

The sun shone high overhead, making the air dry and heavy, like it felt just before Naoto or Rise set a shadow ablaze.  Occasionally she would open her eyes, only to shut them immediately. It was too bright.

Of course, closing her eyes for so long wasn’t helping her pupils adjust to the onslaught of light. She hummed in discontent at the thought.

On one hand, Yukiko mused, she could open her eyes, adjust, and file away the image of clouds moving overhead as pattern references. On the other, she could let the warmth of the sun lull her into a short nap. It had been hard to rest recently, and she took what she could get.

Still, she _had_ been slacking at the shop recently. It wasn’t fair to expect her mother to fill every order herself, even if Chie had been helping with the manual labour.  Maybe it would be better to give the afternoon up as a loss and head back home.

She lifted her arm to cover her face, only for her hand to run into something midair.

“Ow!”

Yukiko scrambled backwards, pulling up into a sitting position, and blinking the sudden onslaught of brightness away. A few moments of wincing later, the form of someone sitting back on their elbows revolved itself. Another second, and Yukiko realized the figure was Chie.

“Why’d you hit me?” Chie asked, eyes wide and shocked.

Yukiko blinked, her mouth shaping unvoiced words. After a moment, she gathered her thoughts.

“Sorry,” she began, “I didn’t realize you were here.” Her brow wrinkled. “Why are you here?”

Chie practically beamed, lighting up from within the way that only she could manage. “I was looking for you, and then I found you! The shop is having a really slow day—actually, you probably know that. You were there, so, yeah, you probably knew that. But anyway, I had nothing to do, so I went to go look for you.”

Chie dimmed slightly. “That’s okay, right? I mean, I know you like your alone time.” Nodding, she added, “After all, even I want alone time sometimes! So, if you want me to go, just say, ‘Chie, I’m not in the mood today,’ and I’ll go, ‘right, I understand,’ and see if Souji wants to run with me.”

Yukiko raised an eyebrow. “You actually want to spend time with me, though?”

“Of course!” Chie acted as if it wasn’t even a question.  “I always want to spend time with you. I mean,” she backtracked again, “except for the alone time thing. Like I said, I know you like it! Sitting alone and stuff is good for concentration, I’ve heard. Naoto told me. I think it was Naoto, at least.”

“I think I get the picture,” Yukiko said, smiling a little. After a moment, she added, “thank you.”

“For what?” Chie cocked her head, an expression of bemusement writ on her features.

Yukiko shrugged, hugging her knees. “Asking if it was okay, maybe?”

Chie laughed. “Not worth thanking me for, but I’ll take it.”

After Chie’s laughter faded away, they sat in silence for a moment.

A moment was all they had managed before Chie began to grow fidgety. Reaching for blades of grass, she began to tug them out of the earth. The amount she pulled soon began to grow exponentially, until Yukiko had to object.

“Chie, the grass here keeps the soil from eroding away,” she said, stopping her friend’s hand with her own. “I know it gets hard to sit still, but it’s important to let some things be.”

Chie immediately opened her fist, dropping the blades she’d plucked. “Oh,” she murmured, “sorry.”

Yukiko shook her head. “It’s fine. You didn’t know.” Then, considering, she added, “I do know one thing we can do.”

She gestured towards the flowers along the plain. “We have a lot of flowers to work with, and I’m sure no one will miss just a few.”

Chie gaped. “We can do something with them?”

Yukiko hummed in affirmation. “Let me teach you how to make a flower chain; I think you’ll like it.”

Bounding to her feet, Chie grinned. “Better than sitting still,” she enthused, then froze. She waved her hands before her, backtracking. “I mean, for me. I’m not really good at, well, being still. But learning new stuff sounds fun, and I’m sure you wouldn’t suggest it if you didn’t think I’d enjoy it, and well--”

Yukiko laughed. “I get what you mean, Chie. It’s okay-- Not everyone can lay down for ages.”

Chie smiled in turn. “Oh! Oh, good. Yeah.” She rocked back on her heels. “Right, so, let’s get to it. The, um, flower…” She trailed off.

“Flower chain?” Yukiko suggested.

“Right! Let’s get to it.”

Slowly, Yukiko walked Chie through the steps, splitting the bases of the stems with her thumbnail, and threading each flower through the other. Chie was soon fully absorbed in the task, back hunched and brow furrowed in concentration.

Yukiko smiled, amused, and turned to making her own chain. It was a companionable, quiet time, intermittent with only a few words passed between the two.

Then, just as Yukiko was rounding out her latest pattern, something edged into her line of sight. It weighed on her head, but only just barely. She looked up.

Beaming down at her was Chie. “I thought you’d look nice with a crown,” she said, looking pleased with herself.

Yukiko reached up, plucking the circlet of flowers from her head. She looked at it, taking in the random assortment of colors, some of them used thrice in a row, others appearing once and never again. It was crude, clearly made by someone unused to intricate work. It was also one of the best presents Yukiko felt she had ever been given.

“Thank you, Chie,” she breathed, smiling up at her.

Chie blushed. “It’s no big deal. You taught me how to make it, and it’s not half as nice as yours are.”

“Still, this is really… this is really lovely, Chie. “

Chie grinned. “Just watch, I’m gonna get better and better, and one day I’ll make you one with those pretty flowers made of fabric—then you can wear it all the time!”

Yukiko placed her flower circlet back on her head, snorting as it slipped over her eye once more. “I look forward to it.” Her smile didn’t feel like it would fade anytime soon. “I really do.”

 ****  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Flower language can shift, but the daisy is recognized as being a symbol of happiness, innocence, faith, and loyal love.


End file.
